Fire fighter&#39;s personal escape system

ABSTRACT

A wearable lightweight fire fighter&#39;s personal escape system and method includes a rope, having a distal and proximal end, organized in parallel segments disposed in an inner pouch. The inner pouch is entirely contained in an outer pouch that is appointed to be removably attached to a belt or harness, worn by a fire fighter. The proximal end of the rope exits through an opening in the inner pouch and outer pouch and is attached directly to a lightweight hook, or optionally enters a belay device. The hook has a sharp point for creating a purchase point on soft surfaces, a hook opening having sufficient diameter to surround radiators, steam pipe and the like, and capture rope that surrounds substantial objects. The hook has a central opening appointed for holding a firefighting tool to aid in creating a substantial object. The fire fighter escapes by creating a purchase point and repelling at a high speed or at a controlled speed by adjusting belay friction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of applicant's U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/066,654, filed Apr. 20, 2011, which, in turn, isa division of applicant's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/407,826,filed Apr. 20, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,942,241, the disclosures ofwhich are hereby incorporated in their entireties by reference thereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a lightweight wearable personal escapesystem and a method therefor for providing escape capability for firefighters from high-rise buildings; and more particularly, to a personalescape system that provides a lightweight hook appointed to engage witha substantial object and being attached to a high strength heatresistant rope organized into a plurality of segments disposed in adiscrete substantially parallel relationship with each other to providefor reliable tangle free high speed deployment so that a fire fightercan escape a perilous situation with rapid descent.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Many patents address issues related to escaping from elevated locationsincluding high-rise buildings. Some of these patents relate to fixedanchoring systems which an escaping person must attach himself to propeltherefrom. Others disclose wearable systems that are bulky, heavy andunwieldy and therefore prevent a fireman from accomplishing his or herwork.

U.S. Pat. No. 190,829 to Costantino discloses a fireman's belt, whichcarries a coiled knotted rope. The fireman's belt includes a fireman'sescape attachment and a fireman's tool carrier, generally comprising abelt, coil of rope having knots at intervals, and a spike. The presenceof the knots in the rope prevents its free delivery. The fireman has tohold the rope by his hand and rest his legs over the knots to climbdown, which cannot be accomplished easily by a fireman wearing shoes orboots.

U.S. Pat. No. 279,744 to Greene discloses a fire escape. The fire escapehas a frame or box, to which a waist-strap or sling is attached forconnection with the body of a person escaping a fire. A roller ismounted on the side of the frame, secured to a wheel with a peripheralflange on the inner face of which a brake shoe is attached. A frictionband encircles the wheel. When a person descends, the weight of theperson applies pressure on the rope forcing the brake against the wheelpreventing rapid descent of the frame and the person attached thereto.If the descent is perceived to be too rapid, a lever may be operated toforce the friction band against the wheel, further decreasing the rateof descent. The disclosed fire escape apparatus is a bulky device withmore than one braking mechanism to decrease the rate of descent of aperson escaping a fire. This fire escape apparatus is not a fireman'semergency exit tool since the braking action is not reliably controlleddue to the use of two independent braking systems. The hook is notdesigned to create a purchase point on commonly available sources. Therope is not contained within the device, rather goes through thefriction generating mechanisms.

U.S. Pat. No. 287,491 to Woodward discloses a fire escape system. Thefire escape system uses a rope with a hook appointed for attaching therope to a suitable location. The rope passes between and is clamped bytwo wooden arms. The inner surfaces of the arms have a groove near thehinge through which the rope slides. A sliding sleeve is provided in therope where the person who is escaping fire grabs the rope and thefriction generated at the arms decreases the rate of descent of theperson. The arms are attached to a belt, which encircles the user. Therope has to be hung from a suitable place and is not provided with ahook adapted for securement to an object through penetration via apurchase point. The sleeve only prevents the rope burn of a descendingperson and the wooden arms provide the friction to slow descent in asmooth rope. The friction generated is not controlled and therefore thisdevice does not allow quick exit from a fire situation and is not usefulfor a fire fighter. There is no support for the escaping person sincethere is no support at the end of the rope. As a consequence, the personattempting to escape may receive a severe fall.

U.S. Pat. No. 939,375 to Andrews discloses a fire escape. The portablefire escape comprises a casing containing a reel on which a line orcable is wound. The casing is supported on any suitable place on abuilding from which the fire escape is to be made. The casing carries asling to support a person and is lowered by paying out a line or cablefrom the reel. The speed of descent is controlled by any suitablemechanism. After descent, the casing is returned back to its originallocation by a spring contained in the device and is available for use byanother person. In this disclosure, the fire escape is attached to aspecific location in a building and a person has to get to the devicefor descent. The escaping person does not carry the fire escape device.The pay out of the line is resisted by a spring mechanism and the escapeis therefore slow.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,300,870 to Plush discloses a receptacle for fireescapes. The receptacle provides a container for housing and coiling afire escape rope, thereby concealing the rope when it is not in use andprotecting the rope from rodents. The device is attached to a wall or abuilding and is not carried by a person escaping fire or a fire fighter.Moreover, the disclosed receptacle does not provide quick exit of a firefighter from a fire emergency situation since no escape tool is carriedby the fire fighter.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,729,425 to Gschwind discloses a safety device. Thesafety device is worn on the back of the user who works above groundlevel. A housing with a front plate and back plate is attached to asafety harness. A safety rope is coiled within the device and isattached to a hook anchored in a building. During use, the rope isattached to a fixed location on the wall or window hook to providesupport to a user who is working off ground. The pulley carrying therope has a V shaped channel on one side through which a belt passes. Theends of the V belt are fastened to two blocks connected to a brakinglever. This braking action prevents the pay out of the rope at a highspeed providing support for the user, who can only move at a lowvelocity. The safety device supports the user in a fall situation. Thissafety device is not an escape mechanism for a fire fighter but allowsabove ground workers gradual movement. It does not provide quick escapeof a fire fighter from a fire situation due to the presence of brakingaction, which restricts fast movement. The hook and rope are not carriedby the person wearing the bulky device.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,419,236 to Weber discloses a personnel lowering deviceintended for lowering parachuters marooned in high trees, and beingprovided as a lightweight attachment to a standard parachute. The devicehas a rescue lowering line which is passed through parachute risers. Thedevice has an emergency braking and a stowage pack. The male fittingsare provided for parachute canopy release. The line is equipped with asnap hook on its free end. This personnel lowering device is attached toa parachute and allows a user to lower from a high tree. The device usesa brake to prevent rapid descent of the user. This is not a fireman'sescape. It does not allow quick exit of a fireman from an unsafesituation since the device incorporates a brake, which cannot bedisengaged. Moreover, the device is an integral part of the parachutenot carried by the person using the parachute.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,676,882 to Lindqvist discloses life saving implements.The implements include a line securely fastened to the bottom of anarrow elongated bag, which is open at one end. The bag is buoyant andcontains a weight so that it floats. When the bag is thrown to a personrequiring assistance in water, the thrower holds a free end of the lineand in turn a length of line contained in the bag is free to run fromthe bag as the bag travels to the victim. The disclosed implementsprovide a buoyant device for use in water that is thrown to a personrequiring assistance. As the bag is traveling in air to the victim, theline contained in the bag is released. The life saving implement, abuoy, is not carried by the person needing assistance, rather, it isthrown to the escaping person in water by the rescuer. The life savingimplements do not provide an escape means for a fireman.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,449 to Arancio discloses a safety descent apparatus.A harness is detachably supported inside a coat and fastened looselyaround the wearer's waist and buttocks, so that the wearer can movearound when the apparatus is not in use for descent. A hook at one endof a rope is anchored around a substantial object. The harness has anadditional hook to attach to a ladder and other objects for safety. Theloose end of the rope is then thrown out of a window. The user wraps therope three or four times around a hook on the harness and lets himselfout of the window and is supported by the anchored rope. To stopdescent, the rope is pulled and to descend the rope is fed up. The ropeis not carried by the person using the device. The rope does not have ahook capable of multiple anchoring functionality. The descent rate ismerely controlled by the number of times the rope is wrapped around thehook and one of the turns may slip out suddenly decreasing frictionproviding unreliable descent.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,431 to Carroll et al. discloses emergency personnellowering apparatus appointed for use by aircrew men. The emergencypersonnel lowering apparatus comprises a support frame and has a stowagebag that includes a lowering line stowed in a plurality of hanks withinthe bag. A lowering control mechanism and an attachment line arepositioned within the bag adjacent the lowering line. A portion of theattachment line extends out of the bag and forms a pull loop. Thelowering control mechanism includes an adjustable descent controlmechanism which controls the area of contact between different portionsof the lowering line to control the rate of descent. Plural paths areprovided for the lowering line in the descent control mechanism to adaptthe system for different loads. A brake mechanism is provided to stopdescent if the person on the line becomes incapable of self-protectionon the ground. This disclosed device is for rescuing downed aircrew menfrom marooned positions in high trees. The lowering line is secured tofirm support looping the toggle in the lowering line and the person tobe lowered is attached to the support. The brake in the lowering linedecreases the rate of descent. This is a bulky device and is not worn bya fire fighter for escape from emergency situation. There is no hookpresent in the device for multiple attachments to substantial objects.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,674 to Stirtz discloses a sack and rope assembly. Acontinuous length of line is stored in a sack of mesh construction and aline is stored within the sack formed as multiple collections of linefollowing one another and serially located in the interior of the sack.The sack has a closable throat at one end through which controlledportions of the line are paid out in an orderly fashion and withoutsnarling and knotting of the line when needed. The line and sackassembly has a multiplicity of uses. For instance, such may be used inthe storing of a length of rope in a car, boat, or other vehicle withthe rope in readiness for use in emergencies, or for other uses (such asa tow rope for water-skiing, or as an anchor rope for a boat). Oneextremity of the line appears at one end of the sack, and the otherextremity of the line appears at the other end of the sack. Provision ismade through the presence of an enlarged closeable opening at one end ofthe sack to reload the sack with serially located accumulations orcollections, after use of the rope and for storage purposes. With thesack reloaded, the line is maintained in an ordered manner, whether thesack be moved from place to place, be stepped upon, or bent on itselffor storage purposes. The rope in this device is organized within a meshsack in compartments and the rope sticks out of the bag on both sides.Gripping the sack by hand provides friction for the rope. The rope isnot integrally associated with a hook and cannot be readily used by afireman for escape from a burning inferno.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,135 to Bell et al. discloses a rappel rescue system.This compact, rapidly deployable rappel rescue system is housed in alightweight carrier and connected to a belt or harness for portable useor mounted in a stationary position readily available for emergency use.The carrier contains a carabineer connected to one end of a tubularlywoven Kevlar aramid fiber of similar lightweight, high strengthsynthetic polymer rappel line folded into a deployment bag, an edgeguard protective sleeve pad slidable on the line and adjustable to therappel point, a modified figure-of-eight multi-configuration descender,and an end-stop ring connected to the other end of the rappel line. Thedeployment bag allows the entire line to be removed from the carrier andsimply dropped, as the deployment bag falls to the ground the rappelline will automatically deploy ready for use. Alternatively, the linemay also be deployed from the carrier while rappelling. This systemcomprises a carrier within which a ripcord is placed in a deploymentbag. The carabineer is used to form a loop in the repel line and theloop is slipped over a pipe or a support object. The deployment bag withthe repel line carrying an eight-shaped descender is thrown to theground and the free end of the repel line hangs freely. The stop ringprevents descent beyond the end of the repel line. The repel rescuesystem does not have a hook for creating attachment point readily. Therope is maintained in the deployment bag in an unorganized manner andcan snag or tangle easily. The attachment of the carrier to a belt orharness is by means of Velcro strips, and is likely to separate underthe weight of the person using the device.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,619 to Damell discloses a fire escape device. Thisfire escape device is adapted for use in escaping from a structurethrough the screen of a screened-in area. The device comprises anelongate non-combustible core of fire-resistant wire escape rope, a dullscreen-cutting knife, and a connector securing the knife to the ropeadjacent one end of the rope. The escape means has a first end adaptedto be secured to the structure and a second end adapted to be movedthrough a cut screen, the second end being the one secured to thecutting means. The device has an attachment hook attached to a rope withknots and a dull screen-cutting knife attached to the distal end of therope. The user cuts the screen, attaches the hook to tie around asupport, such as furniture, and begins the descent using the knots inthe rope. The fire escape does not have a multi-attachment hook andsolely relies on the attachment of a loop formed using the hook tosupport the person during descent. The knots in the rope prevent quickdescent. The fire escape device is unsuited for use by a fire fighter.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,956 to Constantinis et al. discloses a descendingdevice whereby personnel or other loads may descend from an elevatedposition at a controlled and variable speed. The descending devicecomprises a restraining member having a series of slots. A tape or ropestored in a container, which passes through in alternate directionspasses through the slots, one or more edges of each aperture defining acontact surface providing frictional engagement for the line as the loaddescends. A hook is provided for attachment of the device to a fixedpoint. The restraining member incorporates a large aperture, which mayserve as a handgrip. There is also included a harness to be worn by theuser, which is adapted to be attached to the restraining member and tothe container by one or more quick release shackles. The harness may beof a so-called “nappy” type or may consist of a waistband and crotchstraps with means for attachment of the restraining member to at leastone loop at the front of the waistband, whilst the container is attachedto the side region of the harness. Still further, the entire harness maybe incorporated into a survival suit which may have provision for thecontainer to be attached to the suit about the wearer's knee or anyother accessible position. The user wearing a harness that is removablyattached to the restraining member may descend at a controlled ratedetermined by a light load applied to the tape below the restrainingmember owing to the frictional contact of the tape passing around theedges of slots. After the descent a quick release shackle releases theharness from the device. The descending device does not have amulti-functional hook capable of creating an anchoring point. The tapeor rope is carried in a separate canister, not by the descending person.Moreover, the person needs to use the ‘nappy’ harness and is notdirectly attached to a belt or body harness.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,219 to Sadeck et al. discloses a rappel rope storageand deployment system. The bag containing the rappel rope is providedwith three openings. The first opening passes the knotted first end ofthe rope preventing its entry back into the bag. The second openingaccesses the middle of the rope providing two strands of the rappelrope. The third opening accesses the second free end of the rope. Thebag is attached to the belt of the person descending and he may use thesingle rope from the third opening or the double strand from the secondopening. The rope needs to be attached to a support point and nomulti-functional hook is provided. Unlike the first end of the ropewhich has a knot, the second end of the rope may slide back into the bagduring descent presenting an unsafe situation since a double strand ofthe rappel rope is no longer available.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,517 to Jordan discloses a safety harness assemblywith an integral support line. The safety harness assembly includes ahollow interior harness body, which receives the support line. Thesupport line has first and second ends that extend from the harnessbody. The harness is secured within a garment. The garment has a frontopening, which is normally covered by a releasable flap. The first andsecond ends of the support line extend through the front opening and areaccessible when the flap is moved to an open position. The first end ofthe support line may be pulled away from the harness to extend thesupport line therefrom. The second end of the support line is secured tothe harness. This safety harness wraps around the torso of the wearerwith shoulder straps. An inner pouch within the harness carries theintegrated support line. The first and second end of the support lineare connected to a carabineer and the first end is free to be extended,releasing 50 feet of support line, while the carabineer attached to thesecond end is firmly connected to the safety harness. The user connectsthe first end carabineer to a support structure. This safety harness hasno hook to create an attachment support point. Only a carabineer isprovided. The rope is not orderly packed within the safety harness andmay snag or tangle easily. There is no friction device limiting thedescent speed of the user. Since the safety harness is supported on thetorso and shoulder straps, it is unsuitable for lowering a person from aheight since the safety harness may slip over the head.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,516,920 to Schafler discloses a tag line pack. This tagline pack has applications as a safety device for firefighters or rescuepersonnel and includes a container or bag having a pack of safety lineformed from flat fabric webbing folded into a plurality of accordionfolds or laps and deployed from a lower end of the bag. The bag may behand carried, or may be secured to the body of the firefighter. The tagline pack contains a bag, which contains safety line of accordion foldedfabric with one end attached to the bag and the other free end carryinga metal block and a loop. The metal block secures the free end to ahinged doorframe and the loop end attaches to a pole. The hand carriedtag line has no attachment to the body and the fire fighter has no meansto attach himself to the tag line bag. In the version of the tag linepack that is attached to the fire fighter, there is no mechanismprovided to limit the descent rate of the fire fighter. The tag linepack does not have a multi-attachment hook.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,800,007 to Calkin discloses a wearable personalemergency rescue apparatus. This wearable personal emergency rescueapparatus comprises a wearable flexible bag member with randomly laidcord used for rescue. One end of the cord is attached to the bag memberand the other end is attached to a carabineer. The bag is made frombuoyant material so that it can be used for water safety. The userthrows the bag to the person being rescued and once the person beingrescued wears the wearable bag, he/she is drawn to safety by pulling onthe cord. The rescue apparatus is not worn by the person being rescued,but rather is thrown to the person being rescued. There is nomulti-attachment hook present in the free end of the cord. This deviceis not a personal safety system for a fire fighter.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,880,702 to Colorado discloses a firefighter's rope bagand rapid deployment system. The rope bag is left outside the buildingwhere the fire fighter has to enter and the rope is deployed from thebag defining the entry and exit path for the fire fighter when thepathway visibility is obstructed by smoke. This device does not providerescue for a fire fighter from a height.

U.S. Patent Application No. 2003/0205430 to Na discloses a fire escapedevice. The device consists of a hollow backboard attached to a harness,which has a waist strap and bottom strap. The hollow backboard has awoven rope fabric that is attached on the bottom to a secure rod and therope at the upper end of the woven fabric is pulled to continuouslyunravel the rope. The upper end of the rope is attached to a hookconnected to a supporting structure. The rope of the woven rope fabricis coated with paraffin to prevent snagging of the rope. The rope passesthrough three resistant rods, which are compressed against each other bycompression springs. The tension of the compression pin is increased bya handle to increase the friction of the rope thereby reducing the rateof descent of the user. The fire escape device does not have amulti-attachment hook for providing easily accessible support locations.The rope is released by unraveling a woven rope fabric. Moreover, thepay out of the rope is jerky and the descent of the user isunpredictable in spite of the friction generation rods.

There remains a need in the art for a light weight system that iswearable by a fire fighter and has an attachment hook that can establisha purchase point in readily available locations and reliably permits theescape of a fire fighter from elevated locations in high rise buildingsthat present danger to the fire fighter's life.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a lightweight wearable fire fighter'sescape system which allows reliable and rapid escape of a fire fighterfrom elevated locations in high-rise buildings. This system facilitatesa fifty (50) foot escape distance. A fire fighter wearing the subjectescape system can readily escape 50 feet from any point in buildingshaving varying heights. For example, the escape can be a descent offifty (50) feet from an 80^(th) floor of a building, so that the firefighter can gain safety on a lower floor, such as the 30^(th) floor. Inaddition, the fire fighter may choose to descend with no reduction indescent speed or at a desirable descent speed by activating a frictiongenerating mechanism. The wearable escape system incorporates a heatresistant high strength rope. The outside of the rope is fabricated fromKevlar™, an aramid fiber. While the inside of the rope is fabricatedfrom Vectran. The rope is folded in a ‘parachute rope-like, organizedmanner into parallel segments within a heat shrink inner pouch which isentirely contained in a heat resistant outer pouch appointed to beattached to a belt or harness worn by the fire fighter. The parallelsegments are restrained by a rope loop, which breaks as the rope isdeployed. This organized arrangement of the rope allows high-speeddeployment of the rope without rope tangling. In the first embodiment,the proximal end of the rope is attached to a lightweight high strengthhook with a sharp point and the distal end is held in place within theinner pouch. In the second embodiment, the rope passes through a belayor friction-generating element, which is attached to the belt carryingthe outer pouch by a carabineer or quick link prior to attachment of therope with the hook. The belt also carries an additional hook pouchappointed to receive the hook. The belt may comprise a waist beltportion acting unilaterally to support the wearer. Alternatively andpreferably, the belt has a harness with two straps which function as legsupports so that the belt, together with leg straps, supports the firefighter properly during descent.

The fire fighter removes the hook from the hook pouch attached to thebelt. The lightweight hook has a sharp point designed to penetrate sheetrock and other softer material including a mattress pad and the like tocreate a purchase point for supporting the weight of the fire fighterduring descent. The hook has a large aperture with a diameter sufficientto integrate a carabineer portion intestinally therein. With thisconstruction, the rope is made to surround a substantial object such asa bedpost and the rope is captured within the hook opening or carabineerportion. The rope is freely deployed through the belay or frictiondevice and the fire fighter descend from a window or an opening in thehigh-rise building. By adjusting the tension and the orientation of therope, the fire fighter can adjust the friction generated at the belay orfriction generating device and control his rate of descent. In case ofan emergency when the highest possible speed of descent is required, thefire fighter simply activates the descent device by squeezing a levertherein. Once the firefighter propels to safety, he then disengages acarabineer that attaches the belay or friction device to the belt,thereby allowing the firefighter to free himself from the system and tomove out of the way of other firefighters that may also be escaping.When the rope is completely exhausted the distal end of the rope,containing a stopper knot, stops the free fall of the fire fighter.

Once the rope is pulled from the inner pouch, it cannot be re-inserted.That is, the rope deployment is a one-time event. The fire fightersescape device is made available for use by the insertion of a new innerpouch with organized rope into the outer pouch. This method ofreplacement provides a completely reliable fire fighter escape systemcapable of rapid deployment of the rope without any possibility of knotsor tangle formation. The rope has a length ranging from 30 feet to 100feet long and weighs up to 5 pounds. Preferably, the length of the ropeis 40 feet long and preferably weighs up to 2 pounds. A length of 40 to50 feet is typically sufficient for fire fighters to escape from ahigher floor of a high-rise building to a lower floor where safety canbe achieved. The lightweight high strength rope typically weighs 5pounds and the overall fire fighter escape system weighs about 6 to 10pounds and is effortlessly worn by a fire fighter, without hindering hisability to work in emergency situations. Moreover, since the belt andharness is at the waist location, and has a low profile, his arms andshoulders are free and are not burdened by the emergency escape device.

Significant advantages are realized by practice of the presentinvention. The key features of the fire fighters escape system include,in combination, the components set forth below:

1) A high strength heat resistant rope encased in an inner pouch in anorganized ‘parachute’ rope like fashion providing reliable tangle freehigh speed deployment of the rope;

2) the distal end of the rope containing a stopper knot to prevent freefall of the escaping firefighter.

3) the proximal end of the rope is attached to a lightweight highstrength hook having a large diameter aperture designed to wrap aroundradiators, pipes or a bed post, and provided with a sharp point forsecuring to a substantial penetrable object, a plaster wall or woodenwindow or door frame, the rope passing first through a belay or frictiongenerating element prior to attachment with the hook;

4) the inner heat shrink pouch carrying the organized rope beingsecurely held within a heat resistant outer pouch, which is adapted tobe attached to a belt or harness about the waist of the fire fighter:

5) the heat resistant outer pouch is optionally intimately associatedwith a hook pouch appointed to receive and house the lightweight hook;

6) the belay or friction generating device attached to the belt by acarabineer or quick link may be detached from the system once thefirefighter is to a safe area. This allows for the first escapingfirefighter to remove himself from the system to make room for otherescaping firefighters who choose to use the same path. The carabineercan not be opened while the firefighter is escaping or while the systemis in use.

The fire fighter's personal escape system is used in accordance with thesteps outlined below:

-   -   1) the fire fighter removes the hook from the hook pouch;

2) the fire fighter assesses the room for appropriate purchase point forattaching the hook which may be the sheet rock or bed mattress throughwhich the sharp point of the hook is driven, or the aperture of the hookencircling a pipe, radiator or a bed post or using the rope to encircleany substantial object and using the aperture of the hook as acarabineer to capture the rope, or by using his hand tools such as ahalligan, axe, or hook in conjunction with the aperture of the hook toprovide for a substantial purchase point;

3) the fire fighter escapes by propelling through an open window or anopening in the high-rise building while being supported by the ropeattached to the belt and harness with the speed of descent limited bythe belay or friction-generating device;

4) the fire fighter adjusts the rate of descent by squeezing orreleasing the handle of the belay or friction generating devicecontrolling the rate of rope passing through the belay orfriction-generating device in order to obtain a high rate of controlleddescent during an emergency situation where every second counts;

5) once the firefighter propels to safety, he may release himself fromthe system by removing the carabineer or quick link attached to theharness, thereby allowing him to make room for other escapingfirefighters who have chosen the same route of escape.

whereby the fire fighter is provided with a one-time use, personallightweight escape system that reliably deploys an escape rope which isattached to a hook that provides multifunctional attachmentpossibilities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more fully understood and further advantages willbecome apparent when reference is had to the following detaileddescription of the preferred embodiments of the invention and theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1a is a front-view illustration of the fire fighter's personalescape system showing an embodiment wherein the outer pouch is connectedto an optional hook pouch to form a one-piece unit;

FIG. 1b is a front-view illustration of the fire fighter's personalescape system showing the embodiment of FIG. 1a attached to a harness;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the fire fighter's personal escape systemshowing an embodiment of the outer pouch, inner pouch, rope and hookattached to a belt and harness;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the inner pouch, rope, and hook of the firefighter's personal escape system;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of the details of insertion of the inner pouchinto an embodiment of the outer pouch of the fire fighter's personalescape system;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of the second embodiment of the fire fighter'spersonal escape system with a belay or friction-generating element;

FIG. 6 is an illustration of the escape hook 13 of the fire fighter'spersonal escape system;

FIG. 7 is an illustration of the carabineer configuration of the escapehook; and

FIG. 8 is a photograph of a Halligan tool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a lightweight personal escape system worn andused by a fire fighter during an emergency situation. The systemprovides capability for a descent of approximately 50 feet withouthaving to search for locations that provide basis for attachment of anescape rope. This lightweight system is worn by the fire fighter as anaccessory that is securely attached to a belt. The system comprises aheat resistant outer pouch having a compartment for receiving andhousing a lightweight specially shaped hook that is utilized as anescape hook and a heat shrink inner pouch. The outer pouch is composedof a heat resistant material. The inner heat shrink pouch houses a heatand abrasion resistant rope having a detachable device integrallyassociated therewith and being adapted to reduce the rate of descent ofthe escaping person.

Generally stated, the invention of personal escape system and method,which would be utilized by a fire fighter when descending from ahigh-rise building broadly comprises: (i) a multi-attachment escapehook: (ii) a heat and abrasion resistant rope; (iii) a heat shrinkinternal or inner pouch; (iv) a heat resistant external or outer pouch;(v) wherein the device includes a descent control mechanism; and (vi)wherein the device is appointed to be attached to a belt or harness.

The Fire Fighter's Personal Escape System has applications in safety andpreventative measures in the safety of fire fighters and other firstresponse rescuers, including law enforcement and military personnel.Advantageously, the Fire Fighter's Personal Escape System can beutilized to save lives, while providing a lightweight safety device thatcan be effortlessly worn on the person without being cumbersome orbulky.

The device has a lightweight escape hook preferably made from a highstrength iron, which can support more than 6000 pounds. Optionally, thehook may be made from high strength titanium alloy material, which cansupport more than 6000 pounds. The hook is specially dimensioned with anopening of 2.125 to 3.5 inches at its widest point to fulfill multiplefastening methods. Advantageously, the hook has a size and shapeespecially well suited to fit about the radius of most radiators, whichare located near a window used for escape purposes. The shape of thehook facilitates its use as a choker, and facilitates placement of aHalligan tool, or other firefighting hand tool, through the handle ofthe hook as a method to secure the hook to a wall. The sharp tip of thehook can make its own “purchase” point. For example, the tip can bedriven into sheet rock, a wall, a chair, a mattress, or other penetrableobject capable of acting as a support object. It doesn't have to bewrapped around something to provide an anchoring function. The anchorpoint options provided by the hook provide a significant advantage. Astrong anchor is expeditiously effected, markedly enhancing the system'sutility. The hook can be also used as a carabineer—to put multiplepieces of hardware in combination with the system. For example, the hookcan be thrown around the leg of a large bed, making a loop around theleg, to anchor the device before repelling from a window. In addition,preferably the Fire Fighter's Personal Escape System is bar coded orassigned serial numbers for accountability. In this manner, all parts ofthe system are bar coded for readily identifying the components of anygiven system. That is to say, the rope, inner pouch, outer pouch, andhook each are provided with an inter-related bar code unique to a firefighter's individual escape system, so that one can readily identifyeach individual's systems' components.

The rope is preferably composed of two portions, including an outersheath and an inner core. The outer sheath of the rope is composed of ahigh strength abrasion resistant material, such as Kevlar™ aramid fiber,which exhibits a higher heat and ware resistance than nylon orpolypropylene materials. Kevlar™ is commonly used in bulletproof vests.The inner core of the rope is preferably composed of a material having ahigh tensile strength, such as Vectran. The device comprises about 30 to100 feet of rope, preferably comprises 40-50 feet of rope, and mostpreferably comprises 40 feet of rope. A length between 40-50 feet ofrope is generally sufficient for most fire fighters to get out of harmsway. The overall weight of the rope is up to 5 pounds, and preferablyabout 2 pounds, and is easy to carry as a personal escape device for afire fighter. The rope is organized and laid in a manner similar to thatof a parachute rope so that the rope is freely released from storage asneeded by the fire fighter during an escape event.

The organized rope is entirely contained in a pouch that is covered witha heat shrink material. Conveniently, this pouch containing theorganized rope may be fashioned as a belt that is worn around the waistof a firefighter with attachment on a class I, II, or III harness.Preferably, the pouch is adapted to be attached to an existing belt orharness. Moreover, the outer pouch, which is adapted to receive andhouse the inner pouch and rope, is preferably attached to a hook pouch,adapted to receive and house the hook, thereby forming a unilateral orone-piece pouch arrangement. Optionally, the outer pouch and the hookpouch are two separate, discrete, pouches.

The proximal end of the rope is attached to the hook. The hook may passthrough a belay, a multiple aperture tab, or a friction generationelement so that the friction generated at the rope facilitates acontrolled descent of the fire fighter. The fire fighter reduces ropefriction at the multiple aperture tab by moving the rope, or bysqueezing the handle of the descender to increase the speed of thedescent, thereby effecting a controlled descent.

Key components of the Fire Fighter's Personal Escape System include, incombination, the components set forth below:

1. a specially shaped lightweight high strength hook designed to captureradiators, bedposts, pipes and other attachment objects;

2. the hook having a pointed sharp tip that serves to create an anchoror purchase point in sheet rock, a mattress or other penetrable anchorlocations;

3. the hook having a closed aperture to be used as a choker or as meansfor using other fire fighter hardware in conjunction therewith,including a Halligan tool, in order to establish a secure attachmentpoint;

4. the hook being attached to the proximal end of a strong lightweightheat resistant rope composed of a Kevlar™ aramid fiber outer jacket anda Vectran core, or other suitable materials;

5. the rope arranged as a set of parallel looped layers in a heat shrinkinner pouch for easy snag-free one time delivery of the rope on demandduring a fire fighter's escape;

6. the distal end of the rope having a stopper knot to prevent thefirefighter from going into free-fall;

7. the rope passing through a belay or friction generating element;

8. the inner pouch being placed in an outer pouch appointed to safelyaccommodate the inner pouch, and a further hook pouch being provided tohouse the lightweight hook having a pointed sharp tip, and said outerpouch and said hook pouch being further adapted to be attached to a beltworn by the fire fighter; and

9. the belay or friction device being attached to the belt associatedwith the outer pouch by a carabineer;

10. the belt being a class I, II, III harness. Class I harnesses includedevices generally comprising a waist belt; Class II harnesses includedevices generally comprising a waist belt and leg loops; and Class IIIharnesses include devices having a waist belt, leg loops and an upperbody shoulder straps.

whereby the fire fighter is equipped with a personal escape system thataffords reliable attachment of the escape system to readily availableobjects that are commonly present within a building, allows controlleddescent of the fire fighter using a friction device, and has means todefeat the friction device, to thereby provide for fast descent. Thehook of the system also has a closed elliptical aperture for using(carrying) a Halligan tool or other fire fighting hardware to secure thehook to a structure (and can be used to attach other system hardware).

FIG. 1a illustrates a front-view of the fire fighter's personal escapesystem showing an embodiment wherein the outer pouch is connected to anoptional hook pouch, shown generally at 100. A belt portion of safetyharness 11 is shown, appointed to be placed around a fire fighter'swaist. The fire fighter's personal escape system 100 includes a highstrength heat resistant rope 16 organized in a discrete parallelrelationship held by readily breakable threads 17 providing reliabletangle free high speed deployment so that a fire fighter can escape aperilous situation with rapid descent. Rope 16 is housed within an innerpouch 15. In turn, inner pouch 15 and visa vie rope 16, is housed withinan outer pouch 14. Access into outer pouch 14 is achieved through flap21, herein shown on the horizontal top plane of outer pouch 14. Flap 21remains securely closed by way of closure means, preferably hook and eyeor Velcro closure. Outer pouch 14 includes attachment means 102appointed to attach outer pouch 14 to a belt portion of safety harness11. Herein, attachment means 102 is shown as straps which are fixed tothe back portion of outer pouch 14 and extend around outer pouch 14 andclose at strap closure 103, preferably being a snap or a hook and eyeVelcro closure. Attachment means 102 and closure 103 are shown in theopen configuration at 102 a and 103 a as when the outer pouch 14 is notattached to safety harness 11.

Continuing with FIG. 1a , outer pouch 14 herein is fixedly attached to ahook pouch 101. Hook pouch 101 includes a hook closure flap 104,securing means 107, and a pouch pocket 105. Securing means 107 is hereinshown as a hook and eye configuration or Velcro. Preferably hook closureflap 104 opens laterally and exposes pouch pocket 105. Pouch pocket 105is appointed to receive hook 13. Hook 13 is a lightweight hook adaptedto engage with a substantial object and to act as a support structure sothat the fire fighter can assume a secure, rapid descent. Optionally,hook closure flap 104 includes an internal grasping portion 106, such asan internal rope portion, so that hook closure flap 104 can be quicklyand readily opened to gain immediate access to pouch pocket 105 and hook13. Rope 16 has a proximal end 18 which is securely attached to hook 13.In addition, in one embodiment, proximal end 18 of rope 16 engages witha belay or friction generating device 34 which may in turn engage withat least one easily detachable carabineer type fastener 35A provided foradditional safety (see FIG. 5 for discussion on this alternativeembodiment). Hook pouch 101 is provided with hook pouch attachment means103 in order to attach hook pouch 101 to the belt portion of safetyharness 11. Preferably, hook pouch attachment means 103 includes atleast one strap that removably receives the belt of the safety harness11 and closed by way of hook and eye closure, or Velcro.

FIG. 1b illustrates a front-view of the fire fighter's personal escapesystem showing the embodiment of FIG. 1a attached to a harness, showngenerally at 200. A harness and belt apparatus 201 comprises a beltportion 202 and leg portions 203 appointed to be placed around a firefighter's waist and legs. As set forth in the discussion on FIG. 1a ,the fire fighter's personal escape system 100 includes a high strengthheat resistant rope 16 organized in a discrete parallel relationshipheld by readily breakable threads. Rope 16 is housed within an innerpouch, which in turn is housed within an outer pouch 14. Outer pouch 14includes attachment means appointed to attach outer pouch 14 to beltportion 202 of safety harness 201. Outer pouch 14 herein is fixedlyattached to a hook pouch 101. Hook pouch 101 includes a hook closureflap, securing means, and a pouch pocket. The pouch pocket is appointedto receive hook 13.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the fire fighter's personal escapesystem transported by a firefighter, shown at 10. The fire fighter'spersonal escape system is normally set up on the right side of the firefighter, but the system is designed to be used on either the right orleft side of the fire fighter. Safety harness 11 is shown having legportions 12. The safety apparatus of the fire fighter's personal escapesystem is removably attached to the harness 11 by way of attachmentmeans, such as through a snap system, hook and eye, strap system, or thelike. As shown, external or outer pouch 14 (along with internal or innerpouch 15 and rope 16) is removably attached to the waist portion ofharness 11. Escape hook 13 appends off a proximal end 18 of rope 16. Thebelay or friction generating device is not included in this firstembodiment and the fire fighter descends at the highest speed possible.

FIG. 3 illustrates the details of the fire fighter's personal escapesystem, showing the escape apparatus generally at 20. Escape hook 13comprises a first portion 13A and a second portion 13B. Second portion13B is connected to heat resistant rope 16 by way of attachment means20, which is in turn interstitially attached to the heat resistant rope16 by way of external rope portion or proximal end 18. Attachment means20 is shown as a loop, fixedly attached to second portion 13B of escapehook 13. Alternatively, the attachment means 20 can consist of a varietyof attachment mechanisms. Proximal end 18 extends out of internal orinner pouch 15 and transverses through internal or inner aperture 19 ofinner pouch 15, and further transverses through external or outeraperture 22 in flap 21 of outer pouch 14. Herein, outer pouch 14 isillustrated having flap 21 on a vertical end. Alternatively, and asillustrated in FIG. 1, flap 21 is on a horizontal side edge of outerpouch 14. Both internal pouch 15 and external pouch 14 are composed ofheat resistant, flame resistant materials. Preferably, internal pouch 15is further composed of a transparent material in order to allow a userto readily view heat resistant rope 16 located therein the internalpouch 15. The heat resistant rope 16 is fixed within the internal pouch15, and is arranged in a “parachute” type arrangement. That is to say,heat resistant rope 16 has lateral sections arranged parallel to oneanother and fixedly positioned by threads 17, to form uniform, arrangedlayers. These threads shown at 17 break off as the rope 16 is deployed.In this formation, heat resistant rope 16 remains in a manner thatprevents tangling or knotting of the heat resistant rope 16 as it isdeployed during an emergency situation. After the heat resistant rope 16is deployed from the internal pouch 15 and visa vie the external pouch14, the system is not re-usable, but must be disposed of. This preventsunnecessary risks that can occur if the system has been damaged throughuse, such as a chafed heat resistant rope 16 or knotted heat resistantrope 16 which can cause malfunctioning in the deployment of the heatresistant rope 16.

FIG. 4 illustrates the details of insertion of the inner pouch into anembodiment of the outer pouch of the fire fighter's personal escapesystem. The figure shows generally at 30, the outer pouch 14 and innerpouch 15, positioned side by side. The outer pouch 14 is provided withan aperture for receiving and housing inner pouch 15. The external pouch14 has a flap 21, shown on the top thereof in a vertical arrangement,adapted to be in a closed configuration and an open configuration;Herein flap 21 is shown in the open configuration. Flap 21 is in theopen configuration when the external pouch 14 is receiving the internalpouch 15. Otherwise, flap 21 is in the closed configuration. Flap 21 andouter pouch 14 are provided with mating closure means, 42 and 43,respectively. Mating closure means, 42 and 43 are preferably comprisedof a hook and eye or Velcro arrangement. Inner pouch 15 comprises afront, back, left and right sides, and a bottom to create an aperturefor receiving and housing heat resistant rope 16. Inner pouch 15 has acover 41 provided with an internal aperture 19, from which proximal end18 of heat resistant rope 16 extends from the internal or inner pouch 15into the atmosphere. The proximal end 18 of heat resistant rope 16 isfurther provided with attachment means 20, herein shown as a loop,alternatively may be a secure knot. Preferably, a polymeric coating isapplied to the secure knot, so that fraying or loosening of the knot ismitigated. Attachment means 20 is adapted to fixedly attach to thesecond portion (see 13B in FIG. 3) of the escape hook (see 13 in FIGS. 2and 3). The distal end of the heat resistant rope 16 is fixed within theinternal pouch 15, and the overall arrangement of the rope is arrangedin a “parachute” type arrangement. That is to say, heat resistant rope16 has lateral sections 44 arranged in a parallel conformation to oneanother. These lateral sections 44 of rope 16 are fixed in the parallelconformation by way of threads 17. Threads 17 are located on top end 45and on bottom end 46 of each of the lateral sections 44. These threads17 break readily with the application of force created during deploymentof the rope 16. Threads 17 are provided to prevent the heat resistantrope 16 from tangling or knotting during deployment and storage, so thatthe rope 16 glides effortlessly from the inner pouch 15 and outer pouch14 bringing the fire fighter to safety. After the heat resistant rope 16is deployed from the inner pouch 15 and the outer pouch 14; the systemis not re-usable, but must be disposed of. This prevents unnecessaryrisks that can occur if the system has been damaged through use, such asa chafing or knotting of the rope 16 which can cause deploymentmalfunctioning of rope 16.

FIG. 5 illustrates, at 40, the second embodiment of the fire fighter'spersonal escape system with a belay or friction generating elementtransported by a firefighter. Safety harness 11 is shown having legportions 12 and an outer hook pouch 33 to accommodate the escape hook13, hidden within the outer pouch. A belay or friction device 34 isattached to the safety harness 11 and outer pouch 14 using two easilydetachable carabineer type fasteners 35A and 35B. The two carabineersare provided for additional safety, though one carabineer is sufficientto attach the belay or friction-generating element to the belt. Theproximal end 18 of the rope 16 passes through the belay or frictiondevice 34 limiting the rate at which the fireman descends. In anemergency, the fireman can release the fasteners 35A and 35B providingrapid decent. The safety apparatus of the fire fighter's personal escapesystem is removably attached to the harness 11 by way of attachmentmeans, such as through a snap system or the like. As shown, outer pouch14 (along with inner pouch 15 and rope 16) is removably attached to thewaist portion of harness 11. Escape hook 13 appends off proximal end 18of rope 16 and is now located within the outer pouch 33.

FIG. 6 illustrates, at 50, the escape hook 13 of the fire fighter'spersonal escape system. Escape hook 13 comprises a first portion 13A anda second portion 13B. Second portion 13B is adapted for connection toheat resistant rope 16 by way of attachment means 20 which is in turninterstitially attached to the heat resistant rope 16 by way of proximalend 18. Herein, attachment means 20 is shown as a loop fixedly attachedto second portion 13B of escape hook 13. Alternatively, the attachmentmeans 20 can consist of a variety of attachment mechanisms such as knot,preferably secured by a polymeric coating. Second portion 13B has a hookaperture 51 adapted for receiving attachment means 20 and preferably,attachment means 20 is integrated by way of factory installation withhook aperture 51 and second portion 13B. Second portion 13B may furthercomprise a carabineer, as is readily sold on the market. The hookaperture 51 of the second portion may be used to carry specific toolsincluding a Halligan tool. The hook aperture 51 preferably has a height“z” located centrally (shown as a phantom line) ranging from 3 to 5inches, and preferably having a height “z” of 3⅓ inches. Hook aperture51 preferably has a width “y” located centrally (shown as a phantomline) ranging from 1 to 3 inches, and preferably having a width y of 1⅓inches. The height “z” and width “y” of second portion 13B aredetermined so that a hand, preferably that of a typical fire fighterhaving an average hand size, can readily fit into hook aperture 51 sothat the fire fighter can have optimal force when engaging the escapehook 13 with an object by way of first portion 13A. First portion 13Ahas a hook tip 52 that has a sharp nature so that hook tip 52 canreadily penetrate through an object, such as a couch, sofa, chair, orthe like. First portion 13A forms a hook opening extending towards thesharp tip point 52 and has a diameter x. The diameter x preferablyranges from 2⅛ to 2¼ inches so that the hook 13 can readily fit aroundmost radiators and steam pipes associated with buildings and privatedwellings. The second portion 13B readily can be hooked around windowstuds, radiators, beams, piping, and the like, so that the firefightercan utilize the object as a grounding leverage as the fire fighterengages the rope 16 and propels out of the dangerous area to safety.Hook 13 is composed of a lightweight material, yet has significantdurability and strength to support the weight of a firefighter whiledescending at least 50 feet. The hook 13 is preferably made from a highstrength iron, which can support more than 6000 pounds. Optionally, thehook may be made from high strength titanium alloy material, which cansupport more than 6000 pounds.

FIG. 7 illustrates, at 60, a carabineer configuration of the escape hook13. The second portion 13B is provided with an integrated carabineerclip 61. This clip may be disengaged to capture a rope that surrounds asubstantial object or be used to attach other fire fighter's tools.

FIG. 8 illustrates a photograph of a Halligan tool, a forcible entrytool PRO-BAR. Developed by a Forcible Entry Instructor of the N.Y.F.D,this Halligan-type forcible entry tool is the result of years ofre-search and countless interviews with fire chiefs and firefighters inthe N.Y.F.D. The Halligan tool comprises at least one fork region andleverage region, with points that are designed with correct lengths andtapers to enable the firefighter to effect easy entry or penetrationinto a building. The tool provides maximum leverage for entry. The toolis a one-piece construction of alloy steel and is drop forged and istypically 30 inches long. This tool can be contained within the aperture51 of the escape hook 13 of FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 and is used without a hookpouch as indicated in FIG. 2.

Having thus described the invention in rather full detail, it will beunderstood that such detail need not be strictly adhered to, but thatadditional changes and modifications may suggest themselves to oneskilled in the art, all falling within the scope of the invention asdefined by the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pouch for a wearable fire fighter's personalescape system, said pouch comprising: a. a heat resistant outer pouchincluding a heat resistant rope having sections folded over on itselfsuch that said sections are organized in a discrete parallelrelationship held by breakable threads providing tangle free deployment;b. a hook pouch including a hook closure flap and a pouch pocketappointed to house an escape hook, said outer pouch and said folded oversections of said heat resistant rope extending on a horizontal plane andbeing parallel to said hook closure flap; c. said hook closure flapextending from and located laterally on a top side edge of said hookpouch adjacent to a horizontal top plane of said outer pouch, said hookclosure flap extending vertically downward from said top side edge ofsaid hook pouch so that said hook closure flap extends over said hookpouch pocket and being operable to open laterally to expose said pouchpocket and access said escape hook in said hook pocket of said hookpouch; whereby said pouch provides housing for said wearable firefighter's personal escape system and facilitates escape of a firefighter.
 2. A pouch as recited by claim 1, wherein said flap includesclosure means comprising hook and eye closure.
 3. A pouch as recited byclaim 1 further comprising an inner pouch received and housed withinsaid outer pouch, said inner pouch being provided for housing said heatresistant rope.
 4. A pouch as recited by claim 3, wherein said innerpouch comprises a cover provided with an internal aperture from which aproximal end of said heat resistant rope extends from said inner pouch.5. A pouch as recited by claim 1 comprising a belay or friction device.6. A pouch as recited by claim 1 comprising a belt associated with saidouter pouch appointed for attachment of a belay or friction devicethereto.
 7. A pouch as recited by claim 1 comprising attachment meansfor attaching said outer pouch to a belt or harness worn by said firefighter.
 8. A pouch as recited by claim 3, wherein said inner pouch is aheat shrink inner pouch having a flap opening adapted to project saidheat resistant rope therethrough.
 9. A pouch as recited by claim 1comprising an escape hook composed of an iron material.
 10. A pouch asrecited by claim 1 comprising an escape hook composed of titanium alloymaterial.
 11. A pouch as recited by claim 1, wherein said outer pouch isattached to said hook pouch, thereby forming a unilateral or one-piecepouch arrangement.
 12. A pouch as recited by claim 1, wherein said outerpouch and said hook pouch are two separate, discrete, pouches.